Connect with us

News

Npower News: Beneficiaries Laments Non-Payment of Stipend, Threaten to Embark on Strike

Published

on

npower latest news

A few days to the end of the year, Npower batch C Stream 2 beneficiaries have lamented non-payment of stipend. They threaten to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to pay them.

Investors King earlier reported that Npower beneficiaries had bemoaned the Federal Government for not paying them their monthly stipend almost three months after they have resumed their various places of personal assignments (PPA). Npower batch C, Stream 2 began work in October 2022.

Speaking to the press, some beneficiaries urged the Federal Government to pay their stipends to enable them to buy food for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“It is shameful and extremely painful our government has held on to our three months stipends without any explanation whatsoever 

“First of all, the NPower batch C2 beneficiaries were deployed in September but we were asked to resume at our place of primary assignment (PPA) on the 4th of October which we did, and since then, nothing has been done about our stipends. Meanwhile, we applied for the empowerment programme in 2020. 

“After so much delay. We were deployed two years after and still no payment. We are suffering and there are speculations that the minister said she has paid all the beneficiaries and does not owe anyone,” one of them told the media. 

Since the establishment of the Npower scheme in 2016, the scheme has been characterised by issues of non-payment or delayed stipends among other controversies. 

Recalled that D’banj was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for the N-Power project. ICPC alleged that more than 90,000 ghost workers were fraudulently drafted into the programme. 

This allegation has created a sort of panic among the Npower beneficiaries who fear that it could affect their monthly stipend or the continuation of the programme. 

Continue Reading
Comments

Education

FG Abolishes 18-Year Age Benchmark For Admission Into Tertiary Institutions

Published

on

University - Investors King

The new Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has abolished the controversial 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country.

This is coming as the minister indicated interest in reviewing the nation’s education policy.

However, Alausa stated that there would be no reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to void over 22,700-degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and the Benin Republic.

Alausa spoke on Tuesday at his inaugural ministerial press conference in Abuja.

He stated that practical education will help to address the unemployment situation in Nigeria, as tertiary institutions will not continue to churn out graduates every year without providing jobs for them.

He disclosed that the Federal Government will collaborate with private sector operators to train students in order to discover and unleash their potential.

Alausa added that universities of agriculture will be empowered to adopt commercial farming practices to combat food insecurity.

Continue Reading

News

Outrage in Equatorial Guinea: Government Restricts WhatsApp Multimedia Sharing Amid Scandal

Published

on

whatsapp

There is outrage in Equatorial Guinea as the government restricted its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files using mobile data on WhatsApp.

This decision followed the guidelines that the country’s government gave to telecommunications operators when it urged them to implement measures to restrict access to inappropriate content.

The country’s Director General, National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, has been involved in a sex scandal involving the wives of notable people in the nation.

The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old economist which resulted in the search of his house and office on impromptu notice by ANIF officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women.

It was reported that the over 400 videos include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, and about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, among others.

The footage, discovered in his office, was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing a media uproar.

But, in a new development on Tuesday, it was reported that the citizens have been lamenting their inability to share photos, videos, and audio when using a mobile data connection, leading users to rely exclusively on WiFi networks to share such content.

Sources revealed that the restrictions have been affecting business and academic activities in the country.

Citizens wonder why the actions of a few individuals would result into holding thousands of other innocent ones hostage.

Earlier, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, Teddy Nguema, announced plans to install surveillance cameras in all state body offices.

This sweeping measure is part of an ongoing effort to ensure strict adherence to public service laws and combat misconduct among officials.

Continue Reading

Education

NCC Confiscates ₦23 Million Worth of Pirated Books During Bookstores Raid In Uyo

Published

on

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on Saturday, November 2, confiscated ₦23.1 million in pirated books from local shops, including Academic Needs and Zion Bookshop during a raid in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The raid was by the Deputy Director of Operations, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, representing the NCC Director General, Dr. John Asein.

Akachukwu, who stated that the raid was a significant operation to combat the rampant sale of pirated books, listed the books seized during the raid to include: Basic Civic Education by Dr Merry Ukaegbu, Spectrum New Further Mathematics by T.R. Moses and Essential Christian Religious Study for Senior Secondary Schools by Orovwuje B.O and Okolie E.U.

Other books included Macmillan Brilliant English for Junior Secondary Schools by Wale Ossianwo, New General Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools by S. Ajayi, New Oxford Secondary English Course for Secondary Schools by Ayo Banjo and New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools by H.N. Odogwu among others.

Major publishers affected by the raid included Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, and Pearson among others.

According to Asein, the operation is important as it was part of a nationwide initiative to protect authors’ rights.

“What we have done is part of the commissions mandate to protect and promote the rights of authors and other genuine investors in the copyright book industry,” he stated.

He reaffirmed that the NCC is committed to “eliminating the sale of pirated works and to establish a robust copyright framework in Nigeria”.

Asein emphasized that authors deserve to benefit from their creative work and not run into financial losses because of piracy.

“It is our duty to ensure that authors get rewards for their creative work. I have under my watch, zero tolerance for piracy and infringement of Copyright Laws,” Asein said.

Continue Reading

Trending